But don’t worry! There are lots of ways you can keep your kid’s mind active and learning through the summer. One of the best ways is to participate in summer reading programs. That takes you – mom and dad – out of the picture of harrassing little Johnny to read every night. Oh, yeah. Been there. Done that.

Instead, these programs provide awesome incentives to get your kids to hit the books all by themselves. And you’re the hero because you get to take them to redeem their prizes.

H.E.Buddy Summer Reading Club

It’s as easy as Ready? Set. Read!  Check out H.E.Buddy’s Clubs & Contests, and print out the Reading Club Form. Then pick out 10 books and get started. Log each book read and when you finish, just mail the form in to claim your child’s reward for reading.

Half Priced Books: Feed Your Brain Summer Reading Program

For kids 14 and under, just read 15 minutes a day for an entire month, which automagically turns into 300 minutes before you know it and boom- you earn a $5 HPB Back to School Bucks reading reward. Download a reading log to keep track of minutes and check out some of their reading suggestions.

Barnes & Noble: Imagination’s Destination Summer Reading

Download and keep a reading journal over the summer with Barnes and Noble. Your kids can read any eight books and then write a little about why they would recommend each book in their journal. When they finish your child can trade in his journal for a free book off the B&N reading list!

Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge

Geared towards kids 12 and under, go online to sign up and check out some of the fun reading activities you can do at home with your kids. There are reading guides for kids of all ages. Log your minutes to earn cool rewards. Check out their minute map to track minutes being logged around the world and join in to help Read for the World Record.

Mayor’s Summer Reading Club

Get a clue…at the Library! The Mayor’s Summer Reading Club launches June 1^st. This year, your child can read like a fun, sleuthing detective on his own,  aloud, or even online. Register and keep your reading log online or on paper. Be a part of the Reading Club and read eight books independently, or join the Read-To-Me Club (perfect for little ones) and log 15 books. When your child completes the club requirement, she can claim her certificate and select a free paperback book to keep the reading going.

Rockin’ Rabbit Reading Summer Program

The Twig invites you to read along with Max, that book loving bunny, and document your child’s reading success throughout the summer. When your child turns in their reading record, they’ll get kid-friendly goodies to reward their progress. Join Max at the kick off event on Saturday, June 2 at 10:30 am and share sweet summertime snacks, a fluffy bunny craft, and, of course, stories about Max and Ruby. You can always count on The Twig to keep reading fun!

Know of any other awesome Summer Reading Programs? Share in the comments below!

Sarah W San Antonio Busy Kids

A young boy after losing two baby teeth (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When my kids were smaller, the loss of a tooth was a BIG DEAL. They tried for weeks to convince me that some kids got $10 for losing a tooth from the Tooth Fairy. TEN. DOLLARS. MOM.

Sadly, the Tooth Fairy assigned to our house had a budget of 25 cents per tooth. I’m not sure they ever quite got over that. As evidenced by the last time the Tooth Fairy ever made a visit to my house.

The gig was up after finding this note attached to a plastic baggie with a tooth in it: “Hey, Tooth Fairy. How about you just leave me $800, and we’ll call it quits.”

She *thought* about leaving a note back to my daughter: “Hey, Twirl. It’s too bad you want to call it quits, I was just about to raise my rates. Oh, well. Here’s your quarter. Good luck with the rest of your teeth. Tell your mom I said Hi.” But she thought better of it, and just left the money instead.

Good thing the National Children’s Oral Health Foundation (NCOHF) has a nicer Tooth Fairy on staff. One that’s ever so much like more like Julie Andrews (but in pint-sized form).

So gather your kids, toothbrushes, and fairy wings! It’s time to join America’s Tooth Fairy Kids Club.

Really, this is kind of serious stuff. Tooth decay is the #1 chronic childhood disease (says the daughter of a dentist). The good news is it’s treatable, curable, and preventable.

So here’s the deal, when you sign up for America’s Tooth Fairy Kids Club you get a personalized letter from the Tooth Fairy herself, and every quarter, your child will receive fun, educational activities to get them excited about taking care of their teeth. Plus, make a donation to the cause and you can help in the fight against tooth decay across the country.

Check out the Tooth Fairy Kids Club website for a fun PSA from Larry the Cable Guy and to sign up for the program. (Sadly, it looks like their Spanish version is broken at the moment, but I’m sure it’ll be up real soon.)

So, just curious…how much does the Tooth Fairy leave your kids for their teeth? And at what age does the Tooth Fairy no longer make house calls?

Sarah W San Antonio Busy Kids

I bet you didn’t know it, but San Antonio is home to a world class Irish dancer. Earlier this year, the Inishfree School of Irish Dance in San Antonio sent seven dancers to the World Championship of Irish Dance in Belfast, Ireland where they competed against the best Irish dancers in the world.

And guess who was a part of their team? San Antonian Grace Gillock, a twelve-year-old (seen above in purple), who joined teammates Courtney, Shelby, Asheligh, Daniella, Tania, and Marcela in the competition.

The World Irish Dancing Competition is Irish dancing’s premier event. According to the Inishfree School, “The Olympics are to sports what the Worlds are to Irish dancing.” In this eight-day competition, dancers from around the world, including the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, South Africa, Australia, the USA, Canada, and countries all over Europe, compete to win the world title. This year, it was an Australian team that beat out the Irish and walked away with the title.

Grace Gillock was among the lucky few who qualify to compete. The school makes it clear that, “for an Irish dancer to grace the World Championship stage just once is a feat in itself, an achievement to which most competitive dancers aspire.” And Grace tackled it at the age of twelve. Talk about an amazing kid!

The pressure of competing at the World Championships does not outweigh what an exciting opportunity this is for Grace. She says, “I feel very fortunate to get this chance to go and compete in Ireland because I know many dancers don’t ever get the chance to do this.”

Grace has been dancing for five years, practicing three times a week, not counting additional private lessons. It takes a lot of dedication to devote that much of your time to one thing. But Grace has a great perspective on it, “When you are an Irish dancer, it’s not always about competing and winning competitions. I’ve met many of my closest friends in Irish dancing because we spend so much time practicing, competing and performing together, which has doubled the fun of it.”

The team is taught by former World Champion, Neill Reagan, and the former lead of Lord of the Dance, Patrick McCarthy. Inspiring their students to reach the great heights they have, the two world-renowned dancers act as directors for the nonprofit Inishfree School of Irish Dance. If you and your little lass are interested in the art of Irish Dance, check out the Inishfree School. The first lesson is free.

Sarah W San Antonio Busy Kids

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I’m all about sending my kids outside to play, but sometimes you just have to have some indoor time. As the first generation of true netizens, my kids are well versed in screen time, and frankly, I’ve given up trying to fight it. Why?

My son honed his reading skills on Club Penguin missions. My daughter aced her TAKS writing tests after she started blogging on a regular basis. I’m a big believer that tech can play a role in the development of important life skills as long as it’s not all our children do all day long, and as long as what they are doing online has some redeeming value.

As summer approaches, here are three of my favorite tech adventures.

Play

At South by Southwest this year, we had the opportunity to meet with the developers of NukoToys. The San Francisco-based company is launching its iPad game soon based on the popular book series Monsterology. Imagine taking a trading card game and making it completely interactive by tapping a card on your iPad and introducing the character on the card to your screen in 3D – like magic. In this game, you have all the fantasy of grown up games, but with a simpler strategy and missing the darkness that usually accompanies mythological gaming. Kids can collect, trade and play with the cards, which are priced at under $2 a pack. NukoToys also has a version for younger children with all the animal adventure of the wildlands from Animal Planet.

Learn

While Club Penguin is massively popular, there is an equally popular, but perhaps lesser known world where real online learning is happening: Whyville.net. Where Club Penguin is designed for the younger crowd, Whyville caters to a more mature 8 to 15 year old group. In a safe environment, kids learn about different types of power plants, lobby for cleaner air, practice money management (including having checking, savings, and CDs that earn interest – in clams – the Whyville currency), practice being a good community citizen, experience what it’s like to be in zero gravity, play Chinese checkers, navigate a car in a 3D world, program a robot, even track sharks around the world. And that’s just a small sampling of what’s on this free site.

One of the newest features is an innovative avatar-based effort in collaboration with the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology designed to help kids deal with emotional issues. It’s another way to reach our kids at a time when they are facing some of the most difficult social environments of their lives.

Design

So let’s just say your kid loves to play computer-based games, but is ready to take the next step and begin designing them. But he doesn’t know Java or Objective C, and even MIT’s Scratch is a little challenging. Not a problem. Gamestar Mechanic fills the gap. What I love about this site is that kids can easily design a game, post it for others to play, gather their feedback, make it even better, enter it into competitions and win prizes for their creations.

Playing is free, although you can upgrade to a paid premium version. Trust me – your kids will be hooked. And when they go to play games, they’ll constantly be thinking about the systems that went into the design mechanics of the game. And you never know – you may have the next great game developer living under your roof.

MomOnMars San Antonio Busy Kids

San Antonio is Military City USA, a city for families, and a city that loves to honor the men and women in our families who serve in the Armed Services. Saturday, May 19^th is Armed Forces Day, and what better way to celebrate than with a parade and music (in true San Antonio style).

Spend Saturday afternoon downtown by the River Walk. At 3 p.m. you can catch the Military River Parade : Here’s to our Heroes. It’s a brand, new river parade that is dedicated to the men and women of the Armed Forces. See professionally-decorated floats travel down the river featuring live entertainment from military groups and local artists dedicating their talents to honor our troops. Each float is themed according to the various participants, including all branches of service and veterans.

When the parade ends, the celebration continues at HemisFair Park with Salute to Our Heroes – an Armed Forces Day concert sponsored by Operation Homefront. Gates open at 4 pm and music starts at 4:30 pm. The parade keeps going at the River Walk until 5, so you can decide when you’re ready to make your way to the music.

Some of the special musical guests you can look forward to include country music star Tracy Lawrence, special guests Steve Holy, Glen Templeton and Angie Johnson (2011 Contestant from the hit show The Voice), and Dan Evans (country music singer and Biggest Loser contestant).

Of course, in true San Antonio style, there will be food and drinks available. Check online for your best parking options. Since its downtown on the weekend, expect to pay about $10-$15.

Both of these events are free for everyone (if they could be, they would be especially free for military personnel and their families). Join in a day of celebrating the brave men and women that serve in the Armed Forces with fun outdoor events that the whole family can enjoy!

And here’s another way to celebrate. Sea World offers a Here’s to the Heroes program, not just this weekend, but always. According to local spokesperson, Brian Carter, “We’ve been doing it since 2003, and we’ve admitted more than a million people with complimentary admission under the Heroes program. This is a program we are really proud to offer.” Active duty military are permitted free admission for them and up to three dependants. They can use this offer once a year while the promotion lasts. Submit this form along with your military ID at the park.

And coming up, starting May 28, 2012 (Memorial Day) through September 3, 2012 (Labor Day), active duty military and their families can visit more than 1,500 museums across the country for free through the Blue Star Museums Initiative.

Participating San Antonio museums include

• The Alamo
• Casa Navarro State Historic Site
• Institute of Texan Cultures
• McNay Art Museum
• San Antonio Museum of Art
• Southwest School of Art
• Villa Finale

Yep – that kind of rocks!

Sarah W San Antonio Busy Kids

You’ll find listings in Dallas, Austin, Houston and almost every other state north of us. But San Antonio is like one giant empty bubble. At least that’s how it looks on the surface.

The reality is quite different. And it’s actually one of the reasons I started SA Busy Kids. Because I spent hours and hours searching online for camps that offered more than sports or art or basic skills. And I found them. Over the years, the offerings (I’m happy to say) have grown substantially. I will tell you upfront – most of these camps are not inexpensive…much as a I wish they were. But the ones we’ve been to are truly amazing.

Here are a few of my favorites. Four in San Antonio. Several within driving distance. Plus, here’s a link to even more camps for gifted kids.

iD Tech Camps

For your computer super star between 7 and 17, this camp balances off-computer activities and essential technology education to create a fun STEM environment for your camper. Offering day camps and overnight camps, choose from a variety of cutting edge summer camp courses for everyone from beginners to advanced learners. They’ve got small student-teacher ratios which means your child will get the personalized attention and instruction they crave to excel in school and in the summer. My 13-year-old took C++ programming with iD Tech Camps last summer and loved it. They were amazing with his quirkiness, encouraging him to stretch beyond his social limitations to engage and have fun outside of coding. Really – they were amazing with him. Choose between video game design, game modeling, video editing, programming, and robotics courses. Or take back to back courses. There are plenty of options to stimulate a STEM-minded camper.

Summer Institute for the Gifted

Your camper can spend the summer at The University of Texas at Austin (Hook ‘Em Horns!) with other gifted students from around the world. They may discover their common interests, abilities, and goals as they explore a variety of courses in the Humanities, Math, Science, Technology, Multi-Disciplinary, Visual and Performing Arts, and Fitness and Recreation. Your 9 to 17-year-old will get a taste of independence, living in the college dorms for three weeks in July, as they develop their academic and social skills. Your student is encouraged to develop their unique abilities and explore new interests – it’s a great way to stay well rounded in the summer.

STEM Summer Institute

Explore Underwater Robotics at this week-long camp at Texas A&M University- Corpus Christi. Your camper will build knowledge of underwater robotics through hands-on activities, learning from guest speakers, and firsthand experience in the engineering labs. The deadline is coming up fast (May 17^th) so get your applications in quick for this great opportunity to engineer in the ocean with remotely operated vehicles.

Summer Science Camps at The University of Texas at San Antonio

Our own Roadrunners Engineering Department offers a series of week-long camps to foster a fun STEM experience for your kids. Pick from Destination Discover, EXPLORE, iTEC, and more to build and enhance the skills of your student. Through hands-on, interactive learning, field trips, and interaction with professionals, college students, and other gifted students like themselves, campers will expand their brains with fun and enriching camps this summer. My son attended iTEC the first year it was offered. It was free back then … now, not so much, but still more affordable than most. It was well-run and focused on team building as much as skills building. They have really grown the program to encompass a wide range of ages and topics, which is really exciting to see. I have to say – we enjoyed this program much more than the more established PREP (Pre-Freshman Engineering Program), which bored my son to no end.

Sea World Adventure Camps

Give your camper a summer filled with fun and adventure right in San Antonio. Sea World has an awesome adventure for kids 5 to 12 and younger. These camps connect your kids to the animals and teach them about life in the sea. And this year, they’ve added a new camp for kids 3 and 4 and their parents called Shamu’s SeaSchool where you can have fun together role-playing, singing songs, doing crafts, and other hands-on explorations. Seriously, Sea World is a really cool place to be and an even cooler place to learn. AND, while you’re there, you can totally check out the new Aquatica, which opens May 19!

Duke TIP

If your child is a Duke TIP kid (and if he or she isn’t, you might look into it) – think about sending him or her to a Duke TIP camp. They aren’t cheap (in fact, they’ll be out of most people’s price range at $3,600 gasp!), but if you can afford it, the offerings are pretty amazing for highly talented kids who want to be challenged. Camps for 7th and 8th graders who qualify will be held at Trinity University. Even if your child doesn’t ever go to a Duke camp, you might look into this program. There are some great benefits to being involved if your child is gifted.

Texas Mathworks

Another favorite of ours is Texas Mathworks. While your child doesn’t have to be gifted to get in, the program is academically based, rather than age based. So if your kid is doing math at a higher level, they are willing to move him or her to a higher level class in the first few days. Here’s my blog post on this great camp when my son attended. We are big fans!

I’m so happy to say I see this list for gifted children grow every year in San Antonio. This year, I’m keeping my eye out for Geekdom in the hopes they offer up some exciting things for kids who want to code. We’ll see!

Photo credit: SXC, Julien Tromeur

MomOnMars San Antonio Busy Kids

I learned about Whyville several years back during the very first TEDx San Antonio when James Bower, San Antonio’s very own computational neurobiologist (say that five times fast), gave an amazing talk about the future of education. I was fascinated by him and the work that he was doing at Numedon in his cyberworld of Whyville.

I had the chance to catch up with James again at South by Southwest this Spring to find out what’s new in Whyville. As we sat outside after a long day of panels, James was full of excitement about his latest project. And it was, frankly, contagious.

“Look,” he said. “We teach kids that = means The Answer. But that’s not what it means at all.” My brows must have burrowed in confusion. Okay, math was never my expertise, but I always thought = meant the answer. “NO,” he says emphatically. “Look,” as he starts to draw all kinds of shapes on the page. “When we use puzzles to explain things, we can show exactly what = means…” And his explanation comes to life in triangles and lines and squares.

It’s a revolutionary way to teach math, he says, using the innovative K-5 ThinkMath! curriculum developed by the Education Development Center with support from the National Science Foundation. Bower has integrated formal classroom-based instruction with informal game-based learning in an online social environment.

Building off components of the ThinkMath! curriculum, Whyville plans to promote an in-depth understanding of math concepts through an educational virtual world for kids ages 8-15. “In other words, we will take K5 math curriculum, and Whyvillize it. We are really asking, what’s the right way to teach math?”

And, this is one of the most wonderful things about talking to James Bower. He takes nothing for granted. Questions everything. Every assumption. Every paradigm.

There’s no doubt that in the world of Whyville kids will master math. As they have learned to master solar power. And finances. And social skills. And safety. And government. And so many other practical life skills built into this amazing world where mental infrastructure and understanding is built piece by beautiful piece.

There’s a heated competition going on right now in Whyville, the WhyPower Competition for Texas middle schools. Right now, two San Antonio middle schools are in the top ten! STEM Academy and Lopez Middle School. Good luck, guys! Go earn those clams!

Right before I got ready to publish this piece, I got yet another exciting email from James. Whyville has just launched an innovative avatar-based effort to help kids deal with emotional issues, too. Why not? Designed with the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology, a simulated avatar wanders into Whyville chat rooms and professes to be upset. Kids in the rooms, then, can work together to try to figure out what is wrong and help the avatar in distress. When they are successful, Whyvillians are rewarded with a “clam storm” in which Whyville’s virtual currency rains from the sky. I love this. It’s just one more way Bower is pushing the limits of what we can teach our kids in an online world at a time when they are facing some of the most difficult social experiences of their lives – middle school.

Seven million Whyvillians can’t be wrong. This. Place. Rocks.

MomOnMars San Antonio Busy Kids

Your child can explore the theater at the San Pedro Playhouse Youth Summer Workshops. Let your child perfect his dramatic talent at one of the two-week workshops, or maybe just test the waters with a one-day workshop. Either way, the San Pedro Playhouse has a lot to offer this summer. The Playhouse has camps for kids ages 7-18, who can create their own show from scratch, learn about Broadway classics, experience Shakespeare in a Day, learn the techniques of stage make-up, or put their imaginations to the test at Improv 101. Register now  - day camps are $25 (or get a 4-pack for $85) and two-week workshops range from $250-$450.

Budding artists ages 8-12 get hands on at The Sculptors Academy’s Finding Michelangelo sculpture camp series. This all outdoor art program focuses on sculpture from every angle: photography, drawing, clay modeling, stone sculpture, even welding. Running two weeks in June and two weeks in July, you can pick the weeks that work for you. Priced on a sliding scale, one week costs $60, while 4 weeks costs $165. At the end of each week, your child can enjoy a trip to the museum for an additional $25. This camp is geared towards students who are serious about art, so if your child is more interested in running around the sculpture garden, this is not the right camp for you. They have tools available to use, but encourage you to bring your own, and don’t forget to pack your lunch. It’s important to be well fed when creating masterpiece works of art.

The Youth Orchestra of San Antonio is offering their Summer Symphony Camp for your 8 to 18 year-old with at least a year of musical experience. This is the only full orchestra camp in the city, and for two-weeks in July, your young musician will benefit from intensive instruction in orchestral studies, instrumental technique, music theory, composition, and chamber music. It’s a great opportunity to strengthen musical skill while having fun during the summer. The camp is divided into 6 orchestras of varying abilities, and the younger campers will have fun with craft and PE activities. Not only will your musician get to hone their skills, they will also get a chance to perform several times, including at the San Antonio Silver Stars half-time show. The camp costs $415, but tuition assistance is available to all applicants.

If your child is more of a budding Shakespeare, then consider the San Antonio Writing Project’s Young Writer’s Camp. Each day, your child will investigate the art of the pen, apply it to their own skills, and share with their fellow young writers. They’ve got sessions for 4^th – 12^th graders, and enrollment is first come, first served, so be sure and apply before their deadline of June 2^nd. At the end of the camp, parents are invited to celebrate writing with their students. Writing can be an excellent outlet for kids, and the Young Writer’s camp will help shape their skills and unique voice. You can register online.

These aren’t the only ways you can celebrate creativity with your kids this summer. Be sure and check out the SABusyKids Camp Guide for even more camps.

Related articles

• Four new San Antonio summer camps (sabusykids.com)
• Five San Antonio camps that offer scholarships (sabusykids.com)
• Seven summer programs under $100 (sabusykids.com)

Sarah W San Antonio Busy Kids

The Mayor’s Fitness Council is looking for role models, leaders, idea creators and change makers to empower their schools, friends, and families to get healthy.

If you are in 5^th – 12^th grade and have a passion for your community, the Mayor wants YOU for his Student Ambassador Program. The deadline to apply is May 25.

This is a very special opportunity for students to gain leadership experience, serve the community, and learn about the power they have to make a difference.

Student Ambassadors get to:

• Participate in workshops, trainings, and activities led by San Antonio leaders
• Earn community service hours while attending volunteer events
• Voice their own creative ideas, spreading the word about healthy lifestyles
• Receive recognition for creativity and energy while helping to plan a City Wide Youth Summit
• Receive a letter of recommendation and a certificate from Mayor Castro (a great addition to college applications)

Plus they can earn great prizes and have a ton of fun along the way.

Kids are important in making change happen in the city. They have the power to encourage healthy living on their school campuses and elsewhere, and as Student Ambassadors, they will get the tools they need to lead these initiatives. They can help promote physical activity and healthy eating and inspire their peers to live an active and healthy lifestyle.

Got some ideas for helping San Antonio find its balance? Download the application and apply by May 25.

Sarah W San Antonio Busy Kids

The restaurant is awarding 15 summer camp scholarships to 15 deserving kids between the ages of 8 and 16, and they are looking for nominations! Just fill out a form and e-mail it to camp@palomablanca.net by May 14^th. As of the posting of this blog, only two children have been nominated, so let’s move that needle and get some kids to camp!

The lucky winners will attend Stillwater Sports Camp – an activity-filled, Christian leadership, sports camp in Boerne, TX. It’s a one-week overnight camp for kids with a variety of skills and a passion for sports.

And it doesn’t matter if your camper has never played sports or plays year-round, this is a place to develop fundamental skills, teamwork, and knowledge of the game in a way that combines body, mind, and spirit.

Paloma Blanca also invites you to donate online to help sponsor even more kids at camp.

Related articles

• Five San Antonio camps that offer scholarships (sabusykids.com)

Sarah W San Antonio Busy Kids